Store-service apparatus.



A MWWWUM i I W ER 1 1 l PATENTED APR- 21, 1903, I G. W. MCCORMICK.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION III-Eli JUNE 24, 1901.

UNITED STA S PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. MCCORMICK, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR o LAMLSON ooN- SOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY,

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.-

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 726,089, dated April 21, 1903.

Application filed June 24. 1901.

To albwhom it ntay concern: 7

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. MCCOR- MICK, of Emporia, in' the county of Lyon and State of Kansas,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Service;

Apparatus, of which the following is a speci-. iication.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in store-service apparatus; and its object is to provide a better means for supporting the track at desired points.

' My invention consists'of certain novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure'l is a side elevation of a store-service apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the position of the tracks and carrier en route passing the first support. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the tracks and carrier en route in the same directionpassing the second support.

Like letters of "reference refer to like parts throughout the several views. T

The track-wire A is connected to the trap 13 of the usuateonstruction at'its opposite ends. Located along the track-wire A are two supports 0 G, to which the track-wire is connected in the usual Way, and'conneeted to said supports is a chain D, by means of the fingers 0 O pivoted to the bridges O C at O and 0 respectively, and said chain passes over suitable pulleys E, secured to the ceilmg. a carriage G, adapted upon pulling on the cord H to be raised and lowered on the standard F, secured to the ceiling. When it is de=' sired to despatch a carrier, say, from the left hand to the right, the cord H is pulled down by the operator and the carriage G is raised until it is engaged and held by the catch J, secured on the standard F, and the carrier A is despatched by gravityalong the trackwire A. The earriertraveling down the trackwire Areaches the position shown in Fig. 2 on the first bridge O, with the bridge pulled down by the weight of the carrier, and the The trapB at each end is provided with Serial No. 65.759. (No model.)

carrier continues its travel along the track- '50 wire A, and after leaving the bridge 0 as it approaches the bridge Oa reverse action takes place, as will heseen in' Fig. 3, wherein the second bridge 0' is pulled down by the weight of the carrier and its load, and the carrier continues its travel. The descent on the loop 11' is con trolled by the governor K in the usual manner. Connected to the catch J at theleft hand of the drawings is the wire L, known as a trip-wire, which passes the bridge and is connected to the eye n tf the finger Cand is secured to the ceiling by the screw L. When the carrier A is passing the bridge 0', Fig. 3, it depresses the bridge, which pulls down the trip-wire L, secured to the upper end of the catch J, and moves said catch to release the carriage G, which drops to its normal position, (shown in Fig. 1, right-hand end,) its descent being controlled by'the governor K. The wires L and M cross one another on op-' posite sides of the chain D and between the bridges O C, as indicated in Fig. 1. When the carrier has reached the right-hand end of the line and it is desired to sendit to the lefthand end, the operation is identical with that described fora carrier going from left toright,

and as the carrier reaches the bridge Cit pulls down said bridge, and with it the trip-wire M, connected at the right-hand end to the catch J and at the left-hand end to the screw-eye M. This pulling down on the bridge releases the trip from its upper position at the rightof Figl and the carrier assumes its norm'aLposition at the bottom of the standard F, the governor K controlling the descent inqthe usdal lnanner.

By the construction above describedil have reduced thesagoecu rring in -long 'lineswhere there is no intermediate support toit'he trackwire. Also in long lines where there is a rigid supportintermediate of the endsIhave avoided the abrupt hill formed by the trackwire where it is connected tothesnpport, as all the sag is carried forward *to the point of connection of the support torthle track-wire 5 in case of a rigid support. vAside from the foregoing reasons thrta-"is-a'rfecessit'y for a support, inasmuch as in extremely long lines the tension is so great upon the track-wire and its braces that there is more or less danger of accident in carrying heavy packages, and it will be readily seen that this is reduced by the intermediate yielding supports, as shown and described.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a store-service apparatus, a track, a support for the track at its opposite ends, and an intermediate yielding support connected at its opposite ends to the track.

2. In a store-service apparatus, a track, a vertically-movable carriage to which the track is secured, means for raising said movable carriage, a catch for retaining the carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track, a yielding intermediate support for said track, and meansoperated by the movement of the yielding support to release the carriage to allow it to return to its normal position.

In a store-service apparatus, a track, a vertically-movable carriage to which the track is secured, means for raising said movable carriage, a catch for retaining the carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track, a yielding intermediate support for said track, and a tripwire operated by the movement of the yielding support to release the carriage to allow it to return to its normal position.

4. In a store-service apparatus, a track, a vertically-movable carriage to which the track is secured, means for raising said movable carriage, a catch for retaining the carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track, a yielding intermediate support connected to the track at two points, and a trip-Wire operated by the movement of the yielding support to release the carriage to allow it to return to its normal position.

5. In a store-service apparatus,a track movable at each end, a vertically-movable carriage to which each end of the track is secured, means for alternately raising each end of the movable track, a catch for holding the lifted carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track from one end to the other, a yielding support for the track, and means operated by the movement of the yielding support for releasing the carriage at that end from which the carrier has been despatched.

6. Inastore-serviceapparatus,atrack movable at each end, a Vertically-movable carriage to which each end of the track is secured, means for alternately raising each end of the movable track, a catch for holding the lifted carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track from one end to the other, a yielding support connected to the track at two points, and means operated by the movement of the yielding support for releasing the carriage at that end from which the carrier has been despatched.

7. In a storeservice apparatus,a track movable at each end, a vertically-movable carriage to which each end of the track is secured, means for alternately raising each end of the movable track, a catch for holdingthe lifted carriage in its upper position, a carrier adapted to travel by gravity along said track from one end to the other, a yielding support connected to the track at two points, and a trip-wire operated by the movement of the yielding support for releasing the carriage at that end from which the carrier has been despatched.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 20th day of June, A. D. 1901.

CHARLES W. MCCORMICK. Witnesses:

A. L. MESSER, O. A. STEWART. 

